How has wearing your Hearphones changed your social interactions?
Before
I was never one to wear earbuds. I occasionally wore noise cancelling headphones in my home office to quiet the din from my tower computers. I never wore headphones in public except when using my noise cancelling headphones during air travel. Hearphones changed all that.
After
Quiet, Private Settings
I often use my Hearphones to listen to music or spoken word in quiet surroundings. I turn down WORLD volume to quiet the rumble of urban life. To have a quick conversation with someone important, I pull out my Hearphones to speak with them. Taking out the Hearphones is a social signal that I am giving that person my undivided attention. It's similar to closing the laptop and turning to face someone full-on. It's also simpler and faster than muting the source material and adjusting the WORLD volume. I don't want to give the impression that it's tedious to shift from my inner attention to focus on someone important.
In Public
This is new. I wear my Hearphones when I'm out in public most of the time. All of the important people in my life all know about my Hearphones. They understand that my Hearphones allow me to hear them in challenging situations. They know I'm wearing my Hearphones because I want to hear them. These people welcome my Hearphones even if they occasionally have to work harder to get my attention before we speak.
Have you changed your behaviours around others since getting your Hearphones?
ST
ST, I enjoyed reading your post. I use them in the same manner you do. I wear hearing aids but they do not allow me to adjust to the environment I find myself in. They have been a huge help in loud places.
I remember when I first attended the seminar at Bose to test out the Hearphones. My biggest concern was the social cue you referred to. When they are in people certainly get the idea that you may not be paying attention to them. My family and friends know I use them to enhance our conversations. One of them is considering getting a pair for themselves. They get it but it feels like I need to always explain that to others. I have never had to do that with my hearing aids in place. It's a trade off that I happily accept.
Like you I was not a person who would use headphones. Since having the Hearphones I do tend to listen to my music more often when I find myself waiting for appointments and such. I actually wear them more often than my hearing aids now.
I've had my Hearphones for about 3 weeks. My first big test was dinner with a group of 4 at a noisy restaurant. Before I would sit quietly because I had no idea what was being said, or I would only catch bits and pieces of conversation. After a while I wouldn't even ask people to repeat themselves because half the time, I couldn't hear the repeat clearly. But with the Hearphones I was fully engaged. I didn't miss a sigle word said and found I became more sociable because I could participate in conversations.
Hi there promotherobot,
It's great to see you here. Welcome.
" I became more sociable because I could participate in conversations."
Unlike so many technologies that suggest they make us more social, Hearphones are getting us back to the conversations that matter.
ST
I'm just curious: have you also tried truly wireless PASPs from NuHeara and HereOne? I'm wondering how they would compare (they're considerably less obtrusive).
Right, but it's a completely different matter when you talk to someone with highly visible earbuds in your ears (and wires emanating from them).